


Rebuilding Family

by shemarmooresfedora



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dad Spencer, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Single mom reader, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-28
Packaged: 2021-03-28 23:13:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30147060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shemarmooresfedora/pseuds/shemarmooresfedora
Summary: Y/N and Spencer were college sweethearts at Cal-Tech but once Spencer got accepted to the FBI Academy, he ended things between them deciding it was not fair to make Y/N wait for him. When they meet again years later, he discovers something unexpected.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Reader, Spencer Reid/You
Comments: 18
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

“Thank you for agreeing to guest lecture this semester. My students are really looking forward to hearing stories from a real life FBI agent,” Professor Walker was giving Spencer a tour of Georgetown University. 

Spencer had agreed to guest lecture once a week in Professor Walker’s Criminology course following the return of the very much alive Emily Prentiss to the BAU. Spencer had snapped quite a few times at his co-workers and was still adjusting to the sudden development so Hotch signed off on this as a little break for Spencer. 

Professor Walker was explaining faculty parking when Spencer heard that voice. It was so nostalgic and comforting, filling him with a sense of warmth that he desperately craved. He thought he would never hear it again. 

“My office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from three to six. Can you make the lab up one of those days?” the voice asked. 

Spencer was desperately looking around, trying to find the owner of voice so he could prove it wasn’t all in his head and you were actually really here. 

Then, Spencer saw you. You looked as gorgeous as ever. You were in a black pencil skirt and a dark green blouse with pale pink high heels which was a far cry from the crewnecks, leggings, and converse that Spencer had known you to wear most of the time in college. You looked very mature and that is not to say you didn’t seven years ago but you had this sense of confidence about you now. 

“Okay perfect, see you then,” you hung up the phone and made eye contact with Spencer. 

Your jaw went slack, eyes widening in what appeared to be horror, and you ceased all your movement. 

“Dr. Reid? Do you have any questions?” Professor Walker asked, forcing Spencer’s gaze to drift back to him. 

“Uh no, I-I’m all set,” Spencer stuttered. 

In reality, he had not listened to a single word he had just said but he took the metro so he didn’t have to worry about faculty parking. He was still trying to process the brief eye contact he had just made with you and figure out if it was a dream or not. 

“Perfect, then you are free to go! I’ll see you Monday morning, bright and early!” Professor Walker chuckled. 

Spencer waved as Professor Walker strolled off to his office and his eyes scanned the campus for you once again. However, you were long gone. Maybe it was a figment of his imagination. 

-

“What the fuck!” you whispered to yourself as you were in a full-on sprint in your heels. 

You were trying to locate your car keys in your purse while maintaining your speed. You simply could not handle seeing him ever again. You didn’t even know why he was here. He chose the FBI over you so shouldn’t he be on a private jet or something flying across the country?

Once you made it to your car and slumped into the driver’s seat, you knew you were safe. He didn’t know what car you drove and there were way too many cars to go around looking in the windows of each one. 

You took a moment to collect yourself before pulling out of the parking lot. You drove your normal route to Wesley Elementary School and turned off the ignition, hopping out the car. 

The kindergarteners were all lined up in a not-so-straight line behind their teacher with their little coats and colorful backpacks on. 

“Hi Mrs. Flynn!” you greeted, heading to the back of her line. 

You saw a flash of purple before you felt two little arms wrapping around your knees. 

“Mommy, I missed you so much,” she exclaimed as you picked her up. 

“How much?” you asked. 

“This much,” the girl outreached her arms, creating a gap the size of her arm span between them. 

“I missed you even more than that, Josephine,” you kissed her cheek, carrying her back to the car. 

You placed her in her car seat and got her all buckled up as she talked to you about her day. 

Yes, Jo was Spencer’s, that much was obvious from her big brown eyes and curly brown hair. She looked just like her dad but he didn’t even know she existed. 

You and Spencer had dated for a little over a year at Cal-Tech. He was already on his third PhD and you were in your second year of undergrad but you both were twenty. 

You thought he was the one but looking back on it now, what did you know. You were young, dumb, and in love. As soon as he was recruited for the FBI, you were swiftly dumped as he gallivanted across the country to be a badass and save lives. Fuck Spencer Reid is all you could think as you moped around your apartment for the first two weeks, absolutely miserable. 

Then, you realized your period was late and you were never late. When you found out you were pregnant, your friends and family were very supportive, your parents especially, they said they would support your decision either way. 

You decided to keep the baby even though you were still very young. You knew it would be hard but you knew this was something you wanted. You knew ever since you were a child playing with baby dolls and then growing up and babysitting your neighbor’s kids that being a mom would make you happy. 

You never reached out to Spencer though. He broke up with you and then moved across the country. You weren’t really up for a “hey listen, I know you live thousands of miles away now and don’t want anything to do with me anymore but I’m having your child” phone call so you simply never made it. Sure, some help may be nice but you had your parents. You certainly didn’t need any help from the asshole. 

-

It had been hours since Spencer had seen Y/N but he still couldn’t wrap his head around it. 

He went to his old dusty computer on his desk and typed in “Y/N Y/L/N”. He wasn’t proud of this but he wanted to know what you were up to. 

He found your section on the Georgetown University website. You were an Associate Professor in biology. Spencer smiled, remembering all the night you would come over to his apartment with a bundle of flashcards and have him quiz you until you got every single one right. 

Your instagram profile was private and Spencer didn’t even have an account to request to follow you on. Not that he would, an ex seeing you in public after seven years and then requesting to follow you on an account that he just made would definitely come off as creepy. 

He could ask Penelope to do further digging but you weren’t a bad guy so that would be an invasion of your privacy and he didn’t really want to deal with all of Garcia’s questions. 

Spencer sighed. He missed you. He thought about you very often. Spencer thought it would be selfish to keep you tied down to him when he wouldn’t be able to see you very often. He thought it would just make you miserable so he broke up with you in order to save you from the future pain. But it hurt him so much that he actually cried the entire plane ride to Virginia, the poor woman next to him handing him tissues occasionally. You were way out of his league to begin with, you would find someone new and better in no time, he thought. 

In the seven years that had passed, he had a few occasional flings but never even close to what he had with you. You were his first love and undoubtedly his last because he had realized too late that you were it for him.


	2. Chapter 2

Your phone buzzed as you were giving Jo a bath. You swiped accept and pressed the phone between your ear and shoulder. 

“Hello?” you spoke. 

“Y/N? Hi, it’s JJ, Henry’s mom,” JJ answered. 

“Oh hi! What can I do for you?” you chirped. 

“I hope it’s okay I got your contact information from Mrs. Flynn. Henry has been dying to have Josephine over for a play date,” she explained. 

“Jo would love that! She was just telling me about how Henry and her pretended to be dinosaurs the entire recess,” you laughed. 

“Oh my, thank god I didn’t get a call from the school about any biting. Anyways, I could pick Jo up after school tomorrow and bring her home with us if that’s alright,” JJ offered. 

“Of course, I’ll let the school know when I drop her off that she can go home with you. I’ll pick her up at like 5,” you replied. 

“Sounds good! Bye Y/N!” JJ responded. 

“Bye! See you then!” you hung up the phone. 

You were excited that one of the moms had finally called you. It seemed like most of the moms of the kindergarten class had a clique. They all lived in the same posh neighborhood and you had heard they had cookouts where they would all gossip about the other parents while their husbands grilled. You undoubtedly were a source of their gossip. Just because you didn’t fit into their cookie cutter lifestyle apparently deemed you not good enough for Jo to play with their kids. 

-

You lightly knocked on the door. 

“Hey!” JJ exclaimed as she opened the door. 

“Hi!” you waved back. 

“Come in, come in. The kids are in the backyard. They are actually getting a lesson from Henry’s godfather about dinosaurs. They seem very enraptured,” JJ chuckled. 

“We can give them a few more minutes. I’m actually so glad you called. I’ve been trying to schedule play dates with kids for Jo for months but I had kind of given up at this point,” you stated. 

“Yeah let’s face it, some of these moms are absolute bitches. They don’t like that I am an FBI agent. Apparently it’s not very ‘ladylike’,” JJ grinned. 

“Exactly! Like is this high school?” you agreed, “I don’t understand how Jo’s father not being in the picture makes her any less of a good kid. It’s like they have a checklist that the kids have to follow.”

“Well then Jo and Henry can just be best friends and stick it to them. That preppy gated neighborhood is such a far drive anyways. Also, if you ever need someone to watch Jo, Will and I are more than happy to help,” JJ offered. 

“Thank you, that means a lot. We better get going so I can get started on dinner. Next play date can be at our house. I’ll text you about a day and time once I check my calendar,” you smiled. 

“Perfect! The kids are right out back so you can just call out through the window for them,” JJ said. 

“Jo, honey! Mommy’s here! We gotta get going!” you called out even though you couldn’t see her through the window. 

“But Mommy, Spencer was just telling us about the stegosaurus and you know that’s my favorite one,” Jo whined. 

Spencer? It couldn’t be. Oh god, JJ did mention she was an FBI agent. Your eyes visibly widened and the color drained from your face as you ran for the porch door. 

When you opened the door, Spencer’s head snapped up to meet you. You avoided all eye contact with him, walking straight over to Josephine. 

“Josephine, we are leaving now,” you said firmly and scooped the child up, briskly walking to the car. 

You buckled her in record time and pulled out of the LaMontagne’s driveway as quickly as you could. 

It’s been seven years without any contact and suddenly he was everywhere. 

-

“What was that?” JJ asked, “Y/N was completely fine one second and then she looked like she had seen a ghost.”

“Y/N and I dated in college,” Spencer whispered, trying to process his second interaction with you in less than two days. 

“How many years ago?” JJ asked. 

“Seven,” Spencer furrowed his brow. 

“Spence, Josephine just turned six. That plus the pregnancy would be nearly seven years. She has said the father was never in the picture,” JJ slowly explained as she was putting the pieces together herself. 

“N-no, Y/N, s-she would have told me, right?” Spencer was shaking his head profusely. 

“Well how did your relationship end?” JJ asked. 

“I-um I broke up with her when I got accepted to the academy because I didn’t think it was fair to keep her waiting for me,” Spencer stuttered. 

“Let’s look at this from her perspective, you dumped her and then moved across the country. Spence, no offense but if I was her, I probably wouldn’t have told you either,” JJ spoke softly. 

Spencer remembered the kid’s hazel eyes and curly brown hair that was eerily similar to his now that he thought about it. 

“I’m going to be sick,” Spencer ran off to the bathroom. 

After a few minutes, JJ knocked hesitantly at the bathroom door. 

“Are you alright in there, Spence?”

“Just trying to cope with the fact that I most likely  
had a daughter out living in this world for six years that I didn’t know about,” he mumbled. 

JJ opened the door and walked in. 

“Well, do you want to get to know her?” JJ asked. 

Spencer smiled softly as he leaned back against the bathroom wall, remembering the adorable giggly little girl he spent the afternoon with. 

“Yeah, I would love nothing more but I’m not sure Y/N feels the same way,” he spoke softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome to my new fic! i think this is a pretty original plot line but my apologies if it isn’t. i will try to update this every other day because i have another ongoing fic (“Menagerie” if you would like to check it out) so my updates will most likely switch back and forth between the two until i finish that one.


	3. Chapter 3

“Hey buddy,” Spencer sat down in the chair next to Henry who was coloring at the table after dinner. 

“Hi Uncle Spencer,” Henry replied, switching his orange marker out for a green one. 

“So Josephine seemed pretty cool,” Spencer started. 

He wanted to know more about his possible kid before going to Y/N. If it was true and she would let him meet her, he wanted to know all about her. 

“Yeah, she sits at the same table group as me in class. One time when we were playing tag at recess, I fell and hurt my knee but she kissed it three times and said that’s what her Mommy does when she has a boo boo and it didn’t hurt anymore,” Henry explained. 

“Does she talk about her Mommy a lot?” Spencer asked. 

“She loves her Mommy like sooooo much. She says her Mommy says she doesn’t need a Daddy because her Mommy loves her extra,” Henry smiled. 

“That’s nice,” Spencer said, getting up from the table. 

Spencer was glad to hear that Y/N and Josephine seemed to be having a good life. He was just saddened that it didn’t include him even if she wasn’t his kid. He didn’t blame Y/N for not telling him if it was his. He honestly would have had no idea how he would have handled that news back then. 

-

“And that is the difference between a stressor and a trigger. Any questions?” Spencer slid his hands into his pockets as he looked out into the audience. 

The students were silent. Most of the girls appeared to be in a daze but still looking at him. Spencer furrowed his brow. 

“Okay well then, I will see you next Monday. We will be covering chapter four section three of your textbook regarding victimology so I would suggest skimming it over before class,” Spencer finished. 

He grabbed satchel from the desk and quickly exited the lecture hall. He had looked up the class schedules in the administration office and Y/N was also finishing a lecture at this time. Spencer was hoping to catch her before she could run away again. 

He quietly slipped into the back of the lecture hall, taking a seat in the last row. 

“Okay! That is it for today. Remember, we have a lab next class so closed toe shoes only and long hair tied back please. Have a great day, everyone,” you announced. 

Students began to file out of the room, some coming up to your desk with questions so Spencer hung out in his seat a little longer. Once the last student had their question answered, Spencer got up and made his way to your desk as you were packing up your things. When you heard the footsteps, you looked up with a friendly smile that was immediately replaced with a grimace. 

You grabbed your bag and keys and bolted. However, Spencer was expecting this and was hot on your tail. 

“Y/N, please slow down. I just want to talk,” he pleaded as he chased you across the campus, garnering funny looks from people passing by. 

You sighed and halted your movement. Spencer was not expecting this so he almost crashed into you. You took a step back to regain your personal space. 

You looked around, noticing some people were staring. 

“Let’s go to the coffee shop on campus,” you suggested. 

Spencer still remembered how you took your coffee after all these years and insisted on paying even though you told him that wasn’t necessary. 

You both sat down in a quiet booth in the corner. You were nervously fiddling with the coffee cup sleeve and avoiding eye contact. 

“I-Is Josephine mine?” Spencer asked. 

You could feel his eyes burrowing into your skull. You couldn’t lie to him, I mean you could but you wouldn’t get away with it because he was a profiler. 

You finally looked up and made eye contact, “Yes, she is,” you stated. 

Spencer smiled softly with tears brimming his eyes. 

“Did you know before I left?” Spencer sniffled. 

“No, I found out after,” you responded. 

Silence fell over the both of you. 

“Why did you break up with me, Spencer? It all happened so fast that I never got a reason. We could have made long-distance work if you actually cared,” you spoke softly. 

“Y/N please do not doubt that I cared about you. I loved you, I think I still do after all these years. I just thought you would be better off without me holding you back and not having a lot of personal time to visit you. It doesn’t mean I ever stopped thinking about you. I just thought you deserved someone better,” Spencer explained. 

“Yeah well no one wanted to date the single mom in college. Guys would run for the hills when I told them,” you chucked sardonically. 

“I’m sorry” is all Spencer could manage to say. 

He thought he was doing Y/N a favor by breaking up with her but instead he made everything worse. He abandoned her to figure out how to take care of their child on her own.

“Can I-um...I would love to get to know her more,” Spencer stuttered. 

“Spencer, I don’t know if that’s the best-” you started to say. 

“Please,” Spencer begged. 

You closed your eyes and exhaled. 

“You can come with me to pick her up from the school if you want. You can play with her for an hour with my supervision. Under no circumstances are you to tell her that you are her father,” you demanded. 

“Understood,” Spencer nodded. 

You finished the last sip of your coffee and slid out of the booth, tossing it in the trash can. 

“Let’s go,” you motioned for him to follow you. 

Spencer scrambled out of his seat to catch up with you. 

You unlocked the car and you both hopped in. Spencer noticed the backseat of your car had random toys and articles of children’s clothing scattered around and he smiled at just the thought that they belonged to his daughter. 

When you pulled into the school parking lot, you turned to speak to him for the first time since he entered the car. 

“You stay here,” you said as you turned the car off. 

Spencer watched as you approached the line of kids and a genuine smile grew on your face. Josephine ran over to you and was immediately scooped up and littered in kisses. Josephine was dressed in overalls with a dinosaur sweater and a mini pair of converse. Y/N whispered something in her ear and she nodded as they made their way back to the car. 

“Jo, you remember Spencer, Henry’s friend?” you opened the car door. 

“Hi Josephine!” Spencer greeted. 

Jo snuggled herself closer into your neck. 

“Why are you being shy today, Baby J? Remember you already met him? He told you all those cool dino facts. Maybe he can tell you some more on the way home,” you bounced the child in your arms a few times before gently placing her into the car seat and buckling her in. 

“Josephine, I remember you said stegosauruses were your favorite. Stegosaurus actually means ‘roofed lizard’ and their brains were the size of ping pong balls,” Spencer was looking at the child through the rearview mirror. 

He heard the sweetest little giggle. The sound was music to his ears. 

“Mommy, did you hear that? They have ping pong balls for brains,” Jo laughed. 

“Yes, baby, I heard but I think Spencer said they were the size of ping pong balls, not actual ping pong balls,” you smiled as you corrected her. 

Spencer turned around to face her now that Jo was feeling more comfortable. 

“They also weighed about two tons which is about the same weight as this car,” Spencer smiled. 

“Woah,” Jo exclaimed in awe. 

“Okay! We’re home! Jo, you can play with Spencer for a little but then we have to do your ABC’s homework,” you explained as you parked the car in your driveway. 

You lived in a small grayish blue house. It had a tiny gated backyard but you usually just took Jo to the park anyways. It was enough for the two of you. You moved in last year after accepting the job at Georgetown. 

You unbuckled Jo and unlocked the front door with Spencer awkwardly standing behind you until he felt a tug on his sleeve. 

“I want to show you my room,” Jo said. 

“Sure! I would love to see it,” Spencer replied as he was tugged by Jo up the stairs. 

Spencer laughed when he saw Jo’s bedroom. It was decked out in everything dinosaur. Dinosaur wallpaper, bed sheets, toys, and a carpet. 

“You really love dinos, don’t you?” Spencer smiled. 

Jo nodded, beaming as she seemed to be very proud of her room. 

“Jo, I’ve got a snack for you,” Y/N called out from downstairs. 

The little kid lit up even more and ran down the stairs, leaving Spencer alone in the room. He saw a small little bookshelf with picture books, mostly about dinosaurs. It was nice to know his daughter shared his love of reading. 

“You have a lovely home,” Spencer complimented as he entered the kitchen. 

“Thank you, I don’t know if you want some apple slices and peanut butter too. I would offer you something else but I haven’t had time to go grocery shopping this week,” you explained. 

“It’s all good. If you ever need help-” Spencer began. 

“We’re quite alright,” you snapped. 

A silence fell over the room, even Jo picked up on it and stopped the loud chewing of her apple. 

“I’m sorry,” you sigh, patting the top of Jo’s head to tell her she could continue eating, “We’ve been on our own for so long that I can sometimes get a little defensive when someone suggests I can’t handle it.”

“I wasn’t suggesting that at all. I think you have done a wonderful job raising Josephine. But, I also had a single mom so I know that sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day,” he replied. 

“Thank you,” is all you said. 

Spencer glanced at his watch, “I should get going. My hour is up. If it’s okay with you, I would love to come over again sometime,” Spencer said. 

“Leave your number and I’ll text you,” you replied, handing him a scrap piece of paper and a pen. 

“Bye Josephine!” Spencer smiled at the kid who had peanut butter smeared all over her face. 

“Ew, Jo! Did you get any in your mouth?” you laughed. 

“Bye Spencer!” she attempted to wave to him as you were wiping her face and hands with a damp paper towel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had to delete this chapter and reupload because for some reason, both my fics aren’t moving to the top of the page when i update them even though i’m setting the correct publishing date.


	4. Chapter 4

Spencer’s phone buzzed in his desk drawer much to his confusion. Pretty much everyone that would be calling him was here right now. 

“Dr. Reid,” he answered. 

“Hey Spencer, it’s me, Y/N,” you said. 

“Oh! Y/N, hi!” he looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to him before slipping away to the empty break room. 

“I’m really sorry to have to ask this but is there any way you could pick Jo up from school and watch her for a few hours. A student dropped a vile of dimethyl sulfoxide in the lab so I need to safely clean it up and then make sure the room gets properly ventilated. I had to cancel the rest of class so I have to clean everyone else’s lab station up too,” you explained. 

“Of course, of course,” Spencer readily agreed, “I can watch her for as long as you need but I have to finish my files here so would it be okay if she came to the office just for a little so I can finish up and then I will bring her back to my apartment. I’ll text you the address.”

“Yes, that’s completely fine. Sorry for springing this on you but my babysitter is out of town and I called JJ but she is in New Orleans with Will and the kids,” Y/N apologized. 

“It’s no problem. It’s actually the opposite, I am looking forward to it,” Spencer smiled as he hung up the phone. 

Spencer knocked on Hotch’s door hesitantly. 

“Reid, what can I do for you?” Hotch looked up from the mounds of files on his desk. 

“So I kind of have a kid and her mom needs me to pick her up from school and watch her so could she come here until I finish my work?” Spencer quickly rambled. 

“You kind of have a kid?” Hotch asked, slightly amused.

“Well, she’s mine but she doesn’t know that I am her father and I just found out about her a week ago,” Spencer explained. 

“If I wasn’t a profiler, I would think you were pranking me but you seem to be telling the truth. Yes, your kid can hang out until you finish your work for the day. Normally, I would just let you go early but you know Strauss has been inspecting the BAU with a fine-tooth comb recently,” Hotch stated. 

“Thanks, Hotch. I’ll be back in thirty minutes,” Spencer ran out the door. 

As Spencer slid on his satchel and was walking towards the elevators, he turned around and sighed. He almost forgot to tell the team. 

“Hey guys! Quick announcement! I have a kid and her mom needs me to watch her for a few hours so she’s coming here. However, she doesn’t know that I’m her father so please use your discretion,” Spencer finished and bolted for the stairs. 

“Kid, what-” Morgan started to say but the glass doors were already closing behind him. 

Spencer didn’t have the time nor desire to fill them in on all of the details. He didn’t want to keep his daughter waiting. 

-

“SPENCER HAS A WHAT?” Garcia screamed as Morgan informed her of the breaking news when she returned from her lunch break. 

“That’s all he said and apparently she doesn’t know Spencer is her father so you have to keep your mouth shut, baby girl,” Morgan scolded. 

“I will, I will. Do we know how old this kid is? What’s her name? Oh my god, who is the mother?” Garcia asked, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to my tech cave to do something totally unrelated.”

As Garcia stood from leaning on Morgan’s desk, the BAU glass doors opened. 

Spencer was hunched over, holding Jo’s hand. Jo was dressed in corduroy pants, a lavender cardigan, and her hair was tied up in two pigtails that were bouncing side to side. Her converse were matching with Spencer’s. 

“Well I’ll be damned, Pretty Boy wasn’t lying,” Morgan whispered to Garcia and Prentiss who had now joined them. 

“Guys, this is Josephine. Jo, this is Derek, Penelope, and Emily. Can you say hi?” Spencer asked. 

“Hi,” Jo responded meekly, scooching closer to Spencer’s leg, the one familiar face for her in the crowd of strangers. 

“Hi Josephine! You look adorable! I love your little pigtails,” Penelope knelt down to her height. 

“Thank you. My Mommy did them for me,”  
Jo replied. 

“Okay Jo, let’s go to the round table room so we don’t have to stay out here in the crazy bullpen. Let me just grab my files,” Spencer led Jo to his desk and then up the small flight of stairs. 

The rest of the team watched in amazement as Spencer lifted Jo into one of the seats at the table and spun her around in the chair a few times as she started to giggle. 

“Who’s the kid?” Rossi asked as he exited his office, having missed the big announcement. 

“Reid’s daughter apparently,” Prentiss shrugged with a small smile on her lips. 

-

“Okay, Jo! I’ve finished all my work. Wanna go to my apartment and grab some dinner?” Spencer asked. 

Jo was sitting next to him, doodling with pens on extra lined paper. Penelope had also brought in some of her trinkets from her desk for her to play with. 

“I miss Mommy,” she sighed. 

“I’m sorry but Mommy is going to pick you up from my apartment as soon as she can. Come on, I’ll let you get whatever you want for dinner,” Spencer tried to cheer her up. 

“Ice cream?” Jo perked up. 

Spencer laughed, “How about we have a real meal for dinner and then we can have some ice cream?”

Jo contemplated this. 

“Okay but you have to carry me because my legs are tired,” Jo explained. 

“Oh-uh okay, yes I can do that,” Spencer stuttered, suddenly getting nervous that his clumsiness would result in him tripping with Josephine in his arms. 

Jo outreached her hands and made a grabby motion and Spencer picked her up and rested her on his left hip, his right hip occupied by his satchel. 

“Bye Josephine!” Emily smiled at the little girl. 

She gave an enthusiastic wave as Spencer carried her to the elevator. 

-

“What do you want for dinner?” Spencer placed Jo into the child seat in the shopping cart. 

“Chicken nuggets!” Jo exclaimed. 

“Chicken nuggets, it is,” Spencer pushed the cart to the frozen aisle, grabbing a bag of the dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. 

“How about some smiley fries too?”

Jo nodded with a smile as Spencer opened another freezer door. 

“And we should probably have a veggie. How about baby carrots? Do you like carrot sticks?” Spencer questioned. 

“Yes, Mommy always makes me eat my veggies or no dessert,” Jo stated. 

“So if you eat all your carrot sticks, then you can have ice cream. What flavor do you want?”

“Ummm strawberry please.”

“Good choice,” Spencer smiled. 

“We need rainbow sprinkles too, Spencer!” she exclaimed. 

“Of course! How could I have almost forgotten!” he chuckled. 

-

Jo yawned after scooping the last spoonful of strawberry ice cream with extra sprinkles into her mouth. 

You had texted Spencer you would be there in thirty minutes but he didn’t think Jo was going to last that long. She could barely keep her eyes open. 

“Jo, do you want to go to bed?”

He soon realized his mistake as tears started to form in the child’s eyes. 

“Where is Mommy? She always tucks me into bed and reads me a bedtime story,” she cried. 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Spencer quickly stood from his seat and hugged Jo, “Mommy is on her way but I think she would want you to get some rest so I’ll read you a bedtime story, okay?”

Jo nodded and sniffled. Spencer wiped her tears away with his cardigan sleeve. He picked Jo up, getting used to the comforting feeling of her in his arms, and tucked her into his bed. 

Spencer looked around at his bookshelves full of technical books and classic novels in other languages but devoid of any colorful picture books that would interest a kid. 

“How about I make up a story?” Spencer whispered. 

Jo nodded sleepily. 

“Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess and a goofy knight in the kingdom of uh- Caltechia,” he spoke softly. 

“The princess and the knight were madly in love despite how the knight was so clumsy and the princess was so elegant. However, the knight went away to slay the evil dragon and both the knight and the princess were so sad to be apart. When the knight finally returned, he realized the princess had become a queen and she had an equally beautiful daughter who was now the princess. The knight loved them both dearly.”

Spencer looked down to see that Jo was fast asleep. He brushed the stray hairs off of her face and leaned down to give her a gentle kiss on her forehead. 

“I love you,” he whispered. 

He figured there was no harm since Jo was fast asleep and he just wanted to say it to her at least once. 

About ten minutes later, a knock sounded at the door as Spencer was washing dishes. 

“Hey, I knew you wouldn’t accept money as a form of payment so I got you an extra large coffee, extra sugar,” you handed him the cup. 

“Thank you but that really isn’t necessary. I was more than happy to do it. I really want to do it again,” Spencer adamantly said. 

“Jo has a tee ball game on Sunday. You are welcome to come and then we could all grab dinner after,” you offered. 

“I’ll be there,” Spencer smiled softly. 

“Um, where is she?” you asked. 

“Oh she’s sleeping in my bed. I’m not exactly sure of her normal bedtime but her eyes were drooping so I figured I should put her to bed. We had dino chicken nuggets, smiley fries, and baby carrots for dinner and then some ice cream. I hope that’s okay,” Spencer whispered as he led you to his room. 

“More than okay. Thank you so much. I’m surprised you got her to go to bed. The nights she has stayed at my parent’s, she refused to go to sleep for hours,” you stated as you picked her up. 

Jo nuzzled into your neck even though she was still asleep. Spencer watched as you slowly made your way out of the apartment with Jo as to not wake her up. 

“See you Sunday,” you whispered, giving him a soft smile. 

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Spencer replied.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there’s a song that plays during the end of this chapter and i highly recommend playing it while you read that section. the title is not explicitly said but i’m pretty sure everyone knows the song or just look the lyrics up

“Pretty boy, didn’t you hear Hotch? He said we could call it a night,” Morgan poked his head back into the conference room. 

“I think I’m gonna stay back and work a few more hours,” Spencer said, staring at the evidence board. 

“Kid, you look dead on your feet. Get some rest,” Morgan replied. 

Spencer sighed, turning to face Morgan. 

“Jo has a tee ball game on Sunday and I really don’t want to miss it. I think I’ve missed enough of her childhood. So, if we can just catch a break on this case in two days then I can prove to her mom that I can be a good dad,” he turned his attention back to the board. 

“So you’re finally gonna talk about this secretive family of yours,” Morgan said, taking a seat. 

“In my defense, it was a secret from me too,” Spencer turned around to face him. 

“Who is the mom? Even Garcia is having trouble finding her,” Morgan leaned forward in his seat curiously. 

“Well that would make sense because my name wouldn’t appear on the birth certificate or any other important documents,” he sighed, “Her name is Y/N and we dated in college for a while before I moved here.”

“You still love her, don’t you?” Morgan asked. 

Spencer cleared his throat and avoided eye contact. 

“Oh my god, you totally do. Pretty Ricky skipped fifty steps in the game of life and now has a wife and kid,” Morgan smirked. 

“She is hardly my wife. She is simply tolerating me at the moment which I am grateful for,” Spencer said. 

-

“Baby J, come on! We can’t be late! The team can’t be missing their big hitter,” you called up the stairs. 

Jo came running down. She had her red baseball cap on and her hair was in two french braids that you had spent all morning trying to get her to sit still to do. 

As you were loading up the car, you heard footsteps behind you. You whipped around to see Spencer holding two cups of coffee. 

“Hey,” he gave you a slight smile and extended one of the cups forward for you to take. 

“Spencer!” Jo shouted as she ran out of the front door, clomping in her little pink cleats. 

“Hey kiddo!” Spencer said as he knelt down to her level and opened his satchel, “I brought your mom coffee but I didn’t want you to feel left out so I got you an apple juice.”

“Thank you!” Jo took the drink from Spencer and twisted open the cap, taking a sip.

“Okay we really need to go. We’re already a few minutes behind and your coach likes you to be there early to warm up a little with your friends,” you picked Jo up and plopped her into her car seat, buckling her in. 

“Is Henry going to be there?” Jo asked hopefully. 

“Yep, Henry will be there,” you replied, turning on the ignition to the car. 

“Spencer, Mommy brought me to the park the other day and we practiced hitting so I’m really good now,” Jo beamed. 

“I am sure you are. I can’t wait to see you in action. The other team won’t know what hit them,” Spencer smiled and took a sip of his coffee. 

When you parked the car, Spencer got out and unbuckled Jo, lifting her out of the seat. 

“Okay, I am just going to talk to the coach for a second because I have snack duty next practice so I need to know of any allergies or dietary restrictions. I’ll meet you by the bleachers. I don’t see JJ yet,” you explained. 

Spencer nodded and made his way over to the bleachers, sitting a few rows in front of a huddle of moms. 

“Of course, here comes Y/N barely on time today. You know she showed up seven minutes late the other day? I think I may pack Timmy a snack in case she forgets she has snack duty next week,” one woman who was in the center of the group said and all the other women laughed. 

Spencer clenched his jaw and turned around, “That’s rather rude for a single working mom who’s trying her best, don’t you think?” he snapped. 

The woman looked appalled and opened and closed her mouth a few times silently. 

Spencer stood and walked over to you as you were headed his way. 

“I think we should stand” is all he said. 

You noticed the group of moms eyeing you and nodded. You didn’t want to know what they said this time. 

“You know Jo was really excited when I told her you were coming to the game today,” you said as you leaned forward against the fence. 

“I am running on two hours and nineteen minutes of sleep but this is worth it,” he chuckled. 

Before you had a chance to respond, you felt someone lean up against the fence next to you. 

“Hey guys, sorry we’re late. Henry was throwing an absolute fit this morning. The only way I got him to get in the car is saying Jo would be there,” JJ explained. 

“Jo was asking if Henry would be there in the car,” you laughed. 

“Jo’s up to bat!” Spencer excitedly pointed to the home plate which Jo was hovering over with a comically large helmet and a bat she was trying her best to hold up straight. 

“Come on, Jo!!!” you all cheered. 

Since this was tee ball, the coaches were pitching to the children and they were slowly lobbing the baseballs. But still, the kids had to have good hand-to-eye coordination to hit it. 

Jo swung once and missed the ball and looked to you with a frown. 

“Hey, it’s alright, Baby J, you’ve got this. Remember eyes on the ball like we practiced,” you encouraged. 

Jo swung again and made contact, the ball flying a little past the pitcher’s mound which was pretty good for a kid her age. 

“YES JO!” you shouted. 

“RUN!!!” Spencer reminded her with a grin, pointing to first base. 

Jo ran her heart out to first base, holding the helmet steady on her head so she could see. Once she made it, Spencer gave her a thumbs up and you blew her a kiss. 

-

“I think that performance deserves a milkshake,” you chirped as Jo came running toward you after the game ended. 

“JJ and Henry, do you want to join us?” you asked. 

“Oh we would love to but Will is already cooking dinner at home. Maybe next time,” she smiled. 

Once Y/N bent down to pick Jo up, JJ winked at Spencer and mouthed something along the lines of “family time” and Spencer blushed. 

“Is the diner down the street okay?” you asked Spencer. 

“Of course, let’s go,” he replied. 

In the middle of the walk, Jo started to squirm in your arms. 

“I wanna have Spencer carry me,” she pouted and made a grabby motion towards Spencer. 

Spencer looked at you for reassurance, you nodded and transferred Jo into his arms for the rest of the short walk. 

The waitress guided you all to a booth in the corner of the room. 

“She’s so precious,” the waitress smiled, looking at Jo in Spencer’s arms. 

“Thank you,” you butted in. 

Once you all had eaten and Jo had slurped up the last of her milkshake, the waitress placed the bill on the table. 

You and Spencer both reached for it but he was quicker so his hand ended up under yours. 

“Let me pay, Spencer,” you narrowed your eyes, not removing your hand. 

“Please let me do this, Y/N. I know you are perfectly capable of paying but please just let me,” he insisted. 

“Fine,” you removed your hand from on top of his.

Spencer already missed the familiar warmth of your touch. 

“Mommy, is Spencer coming to our movie night?” Jo asked. 

“I guess that’s up to him. Tell him what movie we are watching,” you said. 

“Lion King!” Jo exclaimed. 

“For the five hundredth time,” you muttered under breath. 

“Sounds like fun! I’m in,” Spencer replied. 

-

About fifteen minutes into the movie, you whispered to Spencer “get up.”

“What?” Spencer whispered back. 

All of a sudden, lively music started playing and Jo jumped up from the couch. 

“We always needed a Zazu, Mommy!” Jo giggled. 

“Okay so Jo is always Simba, I’m Nala, and you’re Zazu the bird,” you explained. 

“I don’t know the words. I’ve never seen the movie before,” Spencer panicked. 

“Well lucky for you, it’s the sing-along version so the words appear on screen. You’re not getting out of this one,” you laughed. 

“I’m going to be a mighty king so enemies beware!” Jo sang. 

“Well I’ve never seen a king of beasts with quite so little hair,” Spencer stood up. 

“I’m going to be the main event like no king was before. I’m brushing up on looking down and working on my ROAR!” Jo shouted. 

“Thus far a rather uninspiring thing,” Spencer teased. 

“Oh I just can’t wait to be king!” Jo bounced around on the couch. 

“You have a rather long way to go, young master. If you think-” Spencer jokingly scolded. 

“No one saying do this!” Jo interrupted. 

“No one saying be there!” you sang. 

“No one saying stop that!” Jo sang back. 

“No one saying see here!” you both harmonized. 

“Now see here!” Spencer shouted. 

“Free to run around all day,” Jo began to dance circles around the couch. 

“Well that’s definitely out,” Spencer said, chasing after her. 

“Free to do it all my way” she giggled as she began to run faster. 

The three of you continued to sing and dance along to the rest of the movie. However, by the time the credits began to roll, Spencer and Jo were both out cold. Jo was curled up in his lap. 

You snapped a quick photo of the two of them on your phone and then draped a blanket over them and rested your head against the back of the couch, not having the energy to go upstairs to your own room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love love love the comments people are leaving!!! and the kudos are much appreciated too! angst is coming soon...


	6. Chapter 6

Spencer slowly opened his eyes, adjusting to the morning light seeping in through the curtains. Jo was resting peacefully on his lap just like how they were during the movie. Unexpectedly however, Y/N was leant up against his shoulder, softly breathing. Spencer wished he could stay like this forever, this is how it should have always been. But then, he noticed the time on his watch and realized it was Monday morning.

Jo was tightly clinging on to his right arm so he slowly lifted his left hand and nudged you slightly. You mumbled and dug yourself further into the crook of his neck, clearly not awake yet.

“Y/N, it’s Monday and it’s 7:30 in the morning,” he whispered.

Your eyes shot open and you quickly distanced yourself from him.

“Sorry I didn’t mean to-well you know,” you gestured to his shoulder.

“Josephine, baby, you need to get up now. Mommy forgot to set an alarm for school,” you gently shook the kid awake.

You lifted Jo up as she was beginning to wake and carried her upstairs to dress her.

“Do you need me to do anything?” Spencer called out.

“Could you pack her lunch? Give her a juice box, a fruit cup, a bag of cheez-it’s, and a PB&J please,” you shouted back.

Spencer ran to the kitchen, grabbing the empty dinosaur lunch box from Jo’s backpack. He grabbed an ice pack out of the freezer to keep the lunch box cool inside, putting in a fruit punch juice box and a diced peaches fruit cup with a spoon. He poured some cheez-it’s into a ziploc bag and sealed it shut. Then, Spencer located the peanut butter in the cupboards, slathering it on to the other slice of bread.

“Crust on or cut off?” he yelled upstairs.

“On is fine! Thank you!” you replied as you finished brushing Jo’s hair, starting to head downstairs.

“Jo, grab your lunch box from Spencer and thank him for making you lunch, put it in your backpack, and grab a pop-tart for the road. Mommy just needs to grab her work bag,” you said, putting on a tan blazer and pinning your hair back with bobby pins.

Jo nodded and thanked Spencer, grabbing a strawberry frosted pop-tart and running out the front door with her backpack.

“You know pop-tarts have only three grams of protein but are high in refined carbs like high fructose corn syrup. Studies show they actually can make you hungrier,” Spencer stated.

He wasn’t intending to take a jab at Y/N’s choice of breakfast for Jo this morning but you certainly took it that way.

“I’m sorry, have you raised a kid?” you asked sarcastically.

“No but who’s fault is that?” he snapped back, immediately regretting it.

Your hands fell from where they were adjusting your hair in the mirror. You did not look at him or say a single word as you collected your purse and laptop and began to walk to the door.

“Y/N, wait! I didn’t mean that,” he pleaded.

You inhaled and turned around.

“You don’t get to sit on your high horse and act like I didn’t do you a favor, Spencer,” you clenched your jaw.

“A FAVOR?” he asked incredulously, “You call missing six years of my daughter’s life a favor?”

“You’re seriously going to look me in the eye and tell me that if I called you seven years ago saying I was pregnant, you would have quit the FBI and moved back,” you questioned.

“I-”

“Even if you did quit, you would have ended up resenting us for not getting to fulfill your dreams so yeah I did you a favor.”

“So you think our daughter is some massive burden that you ‘took the bullet’ on? If you truly think that, then maybe I’ll just fight you for custody.”

“I was fully aware of my options back then. I chose to have Jo because she was my dream. But she clearly wasn’t yours because you left me the second you had something better lined up. And I’d like to see you fucking try to fight for custody, news flash! Your name isn’t on the birth certificate. You have no legal rights over Jo. But how dare you even threaten to take my child away from me over a fucking pop-tart, you asshole,” you stormed out the house, slamming the front door behind you.

The feeling in Spencer’s chest now the exact opposite of when he woke up this morning.

-

_Please call me. I’m sorry, I was out of line._

You had a multitude of missed calls and texts from Spencer that you didn’t reply to but that was the first one he sent. One of them said he was being called away on a case so luckily he wasn’t showing up at your door every day.

It was Saturday night and Jo had fallen asleep on the couch watching Tom & Jerry cartoons. You clicked the TV off and carried her up the stairs. You tucked her under her dinosaur comforter and kissed her forehead.

“Bedtime story, Mommy,” she mumbled.

“Okay, which one?” you asked, looking at the bookshelf.

“Caltechia,” she said, opening her eyes slightly.

“What?” you furrowed your brow.

“Spencer told it to me. You know the one with the goofy knight that loves the elegant queen and pretty princess of Caltechia,” Jo stated matter-of-factly.

You smiled softly, “I’m sorry, Baby J, I don’t know how that one ends. Maybe Spencer can finish it for you some day. How about The Very Hungry Caterpillar instead?”

She nodded and her eyes fluttered shut once again as you began to read.

-

After flicking the lights off and gently shutting Jo’s door, you returned downstairs to grade some papers.

You got through about five when there was a soft hesitant knock on the door. You sighed, closing your laptop. Your TV was on as background noise and the lights in the living room were on so it was obvious you were home and still awake. You already knew who it was without even looking.

You opened the door slightly to see Spencer standing there with swollen puffy eyes and nervous fidgety hands.

“Can we talk?” he asked quietly.

You opened the door all the way and plopped yourself back down on the couch.

“Jo is sleeping so if you came here to yell at me again, save it,” you huffed.

“No, I came here to apologize. I wasn’t trying to criticize your parenting. I was just stating a random fact I read, it was stupid. I’m sorry. And I’m also sorry that I escalated the argument instead of trying to defuse it,” he spoke softly.

“I’m sorry too. I should have known that it was just another statistic. Some things never change,” you laughed softly.

“But Y/N, you knew that I had a father that abandoned me and my worst fear was becoming him and you still kept Jo from me anyways,” he whispered with watery eyes.

“You know how you claimed you broke up with me to protect me? I thought keeping Jo from you so you didn’t have to make that decision was kind of like protecting you. You can’t abandon a child you didn’t know existed.”

“Well, I know about her now and I’m not abandoning her. I don’t want to. Can you please let me be her dad and not just her father?” he pleaded, wiping away the tear that rolled down his cheek.

“We can tell her at breakfast in the morning and you can come with us to the park tomorrow. I guess we could work out some days that you can drop her off at school or pick her up and keep her for dinner. But she sleeps here, I’m not budging on that for now. She needs some consistency if we are going to spring this on her,” you replied.

“Yes! Yes! Thank you,” he excitedly whisper-shouted.

Without even realizing what he was doing, Spencer pulled you in for a hug. He soon realized when you tensed in his arms.

“Oh-uh I’m sorry,” he stuttered, pulling his arms back, “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

He awkwardly waved as he made his way to the door.

“Good night, Spencer.”

“Night, Y/N.”

You pulled back the window curtain a little to watch Spencer walk out of your driveway. He had his back turned to you but you saw him pump his fist in the air and jump up and down a few times before collecting himself and beginning to walk away with a smile on his face. You laughed to yourself. Still the same old goofy Spencer.


	7. Chapter 7

Spencer could barely sleep that night. He was full of excitement like a kid on Christmas Eve. He was going to get to tell Jo that he was her dad.

When he awoke from a restless sleep, his excitement slowly turned into nervousness. What if she didn’t want a dad? What if she asked where he had been all these years? Spencer wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and texted Y/N before leaving his apartment.

_Do you want me to bring breakfast?_

Her response chimed a minute later as Spencer was lacing up his converse.

_Nope! We are having pop-tarts...kidding, I’m making pancakes._

Spencer chuckled to himself, glad that you two could now joke about your previous argument that had been settled.

-

Spencer’s hands fiddled nervously with the hem of the light gray sweater he was wearing as he walked up Y/N’s driveway.

He knocked on the door and heard some clattering coming from the kitchen.

“Baby J, can you get the door? It’s Spencer,” he heard Y/N call out.

“Spencer! Spencer! Spencer!” he heard Jo chirp as the little pitter patter of footsteps grew louder.

The door opened to reveal a smiling Jo wearing a stegosaurus t-shirt with a plain white long-sleeve under it, jeans, and white converse with little colorful dinosaurs printed all over them.

“Hey Jo! I love the converse. Are they new?” he asked.

“Yep, Mommy went to five different stores looking for my size,” she nodded, beaming.

“Well that was very sweet of her,” he smiled, closing the door behind him.

You were in the kitchen, cooking the last of the batter into a final pancake.

Jo sat down at the already set table and Spencer took the seat across from her, giving you his classic tight-lipped smile and wave.

You joined them seconds later, carrying a plate with a large stack of pancakes balancing on top.

Jo grabbed one immediately and threw it down on her plate, reaching for the syrup and applying a generous amount.

“Mommy makes the best pancakes,” she informed Spencer as she took her first bite.

“Thank you, Y/N,” he looked at you as he also reached for a pancake.

It was clear from the look in his eyes that he was thanking you for more than just cooking breakfast.

You smiled softly and nodded your head in acknowledgement. To Spencer’s surprise, you took the seat beside him rather than next to Jo so you both were sitting across from her.

“Jo,” you started to say, “Spencer and I have something we want to tell you.”

You looked over at him to continue as Jo set her fork down and swallowed the bit of pancake she was chewing, washing it down with some orange juice.

“I-I’m your dad, Jo,” Spencer spoke earnestly, gauging her reaction.

Jo’s look of utter confusion did not ease his anxiety. She turned to face you.

“I thought you said I didn’t need a dad?” she questioned.

“You don’t. No kid needs a dad...but you have one and he’s a pretty good guy,” you gestured back over to Spencer.

Jo’s face erupted into a grin.

“I’m glad it’s Spencer. He’s nice,” she whispered to you as if Spencer wasn’t less than a foot away and couldn’t hear.

Jo stood up from the table and skipped around to the other side, extending her arms forward as she approached Spencer’s chair. Spencer got up and knelt down, opening his arms up as well. Jo walked into his embrace and he wrapped his arms around her.

“Hi Daddy,” she whispered.

“Hi Jo,” he squeezed her a little tighter, tears emerging from his lash line.

-

Spencer helped Jo go across the monkey bars by holding her legs up so she wouldn’t fall. Then, he pushed her on the swing. He even played with Jo in the sandpit despite not being dressed for it. However, he eventually retired to the bench where you were sitting once Jo went to play on the jungle gym because he was far too big to fit in it.

“Thank you for letting me tell her,” he said as he sat down.

“You’re in this now. You can’t back out and leave,” you said seriously, watching Jo go down the slide.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised.

“Good” is all you said and a silence fell over the two of you as you both had your attention directed at Jo on the playground.

“She never asked where you were all those years,” you stated softly.

“She might have questions some day when she’s older though,” Spencer said.

“I’ll tell her the truth, don’t worry. You’re not the bad guy here,” you replied.

“You’re not either,” he turned to look at you.

“I can’t say I’m entirely thrilled by the decision you made but I at least understand where you were coming from. You were doing what you thought was best,” he continued.

“Mommy! Daddy! Look!” Jo called out as she began to climb the little rock wall.

“Good job, Baby J, but be careful!” you responded.

“You’re so strong, Jo!” Spencer smiled as she reached the top of the wall.

-

Jo was fast asleep in her car seat by the time you arrived home.

“Could you grab the bag from the back?” you whispered, “I’m going to put her down for her nap.”

Spencer nodded and followed you inside. He placed the bag on the kitchen counter and noticed the dishes in the sink from breakfast. He rolled up his sleeves and started doing them.

When you tip-toed back downstairs after successfully transferring Jo from the car to her bed without waking her up, your lips turned up at the corners as you saw Spencer drying off the last of the dishes and putting them back into the cupboard.

“Thank you.”

He turned around, “I have much more to be thanking you for,” he glanced at his watch, “I should go.”

“You can uh-bring Jo to school tomorrow i-if you want. You don’t have to,” you stuttered, not exactly sure of how this whole co-parenting thing was going to work just yet.

“I’ll be here at seven on the dot,” he smiled.

“I’ll call the school. There’s probably going to be some paperwork you’re going to have to fill out if you’re going to be dropping her off and picking her up now,” you explained.

“Alright, I can do that. Bye, Y/N,” he waved.

“See you tomorrow, Spence,” you closed the front door behind him.

Shit. It slipped out. You didn’t mean to call him that. You had been purposely trying not to say it. Old habits die hard I guess.

-

“Hi, I’m Spencer Reid, Jo’s dad. Y/N was supposed to call about some paperwork?” he tentatively asked the receptionist in the main office of the elementary school with Jo on his left hip.

“Yes she did, you can just fill out this packet here and just return it next time you come,” she handed the papers to him.

“Thank you,” he politely smiled, “Alright Jo, where is Mrs. Flynn’s classroom?”

Jo pointed to a door to the right down the hall. He set Jo down outside the classroom, waving to Mrs. Flynn.

“Bye, Jo. Have a good day! Mommy is going to pick you up but I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, okay?” he said.

“Okay bye, Daddy! I love you,” she turned around and began to enter the classroom.

Spencer’s heart felt like it was going to burst. That was the first time she said ‘I love you’ to him and she said it so nonchalantly like it was so obvious and wasn’t the most precious thing Spencer had ever heard.

“I love you too, Josephine,” he replied. She turned back around and gave him a wave and a little smile as she put her backpack in her cubby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for 1000 hits (and “Menagerie” is 5 away from 1000 so thank you in advance)!!!


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